Environmental Monitoring (Electronic book text)

The current rate and scale of environmental change around the world makes the detection and understanding of these changes increasingly urgent. Subsequently, government legislation is focusing on measurable results of environmental programs, requiring researchers to employ effective and efficient methods for acquiring high-quality data. Environmental Monitoring is the first book to bring together the conceptual basis behind all monitoring activities with specific approaches to the monitoring of air, water, and land. Coverage includes integrated monitoring at the landscape level, as well as case studies of existing monitoring programs. The book focuses on pollution issues and impacts resulting from human activities and includes results from monitoring efforts carried out in various countries on several continents. The multinational makeup of the contributors and the cases presented gives the book worldwide relevance. Academics in all fields relating to environmental monitoring, as well as governmental agency employees and supporting contractor agencies, will find this book a comprehensive and useful reference.